Perpetual Darkness
Perpetual Darkness is the first story in the Illusions Alternate Universe's "Akloran Cycle" . Story Chapter One: Arrivals Turaga Gaaki looked out upon the glorius city of Metru Nui. It was nearing dawn, and she was absolutely exhausted. She had barely slept at all for weeks. None of the Turaga had. Worry had a great affect on sleep. The Turaga were always worrying. Than again, Gaaki had never in her life slept well. She had been very insecure Matoran, often lonely and sad. She was a true pessimist, and she couldn't help that. The War hadn't helped a bit. She had been in the thick of the fighting as a Matoran, and even thicker into it as a Toa. The bloodshed had weakened her, the atrocities she witnessed had broken her, and life had been horrible. But when she had become a Toa, she realised she couldn't carry on her old weaknesses. They couldn't hold her back like they had before. She had always been a weak Matoran mentally and she had gone to all lengths to change as a Toa. And she had succeeded. She hoped. The first morning rays of sunlight shone brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the throne room. Gaaki heard yawns from outside the door, and somebody grumbling in chutespeak about how it was too early to be up, and how he should be in his warm, comfortable bed at this hour of the morning. Gaaki allowed herself a weary smile. Turaga Iruini was up. "Morning, Iruini. Did you sleep well?" "Do I have to reply-answer?" Gaaki laughed. Same old Iruini. From Matoran to Toa to Turaga, he had always been the same thing: a grumbler. He complained about most things, such as the weather, Turaga Norik, public transport, being a Turaga, Turaga Norik, how he was "too old-frail for this kind of thing", and Turaga Norik. One would almost think that he '''enjoyed' complaining.'' "Good morning, Gaaki. I take you did not sleep-rest well either, eh?" "You can say that again. If any of us have gotten more than three hours of sleep every night for the last six weeks I'll eat my staff." Gaaki chuckled at her own joke, an action Iruini's sense of humour didn't quite appreciate. Pitiful. he thought to himself. Simply pitiful. "Too busy fussing about our life-tasks. Being an leader isn't all it cracked up to be." Gaaki checked the clock on the wall. "I think the others should be up soon." "Ugh. Another day with NORIK. Why does he have to be so dull-serious? He takes everything way too seriously." Gaaki couldn't help but chuckle. Norik was Iruini's best friend, but he never stopped going on about "those annoying things that made him Norik". As if on queue, Norik trudged in, followed closely by Kualus, Pouks and Bomonga, all of which were yawning and rubbing there eyes, making fruitless attempts truly awaken. They were flanked by sixteen steely-faced Matoran, each carrying a short spear. There were two Matoran bodyguards to each Turaga, with four guarding the doorway. They followed the Turaga wherever they went, unless told not to do so. The eccentric and security-obsessed Bomonga was the only one who didn't think them a nuisance. But eccentricity aside, Bomonga had sense. They were necessary, and though serious and stately, they were good companions. Bomonga was wise like that. The Turaga waited for their first meeting. It was with a matoran named Lipk who was a police officer in Po-Metru. He came to them smiling, but once he was asked to give his report he turned grave and serious. "We have discovered Illegal Volatile Equipment hidden in a transporter which was inside a Su-Matoran's home in the village of Icharus Brink. We think he is innocent, and that someone put them there without him knowing. He was away on a business trip to Xia for a few days and his house was uninhabited, so it would have been easy to sneak them in and out over the duration of his trip." "And nobody noticed shady figures going into a Su-Matoran's empty house?" said Bomonga sceptically. "Err... Well, here's the real thing: Icharus Brink is a relatively new village smack bang in the middle of nowhere. The police force I deployed out to the village after it's formation last week-" Kualus's hand flew up up, signalling for Lipk to stop. "Hold up: this village, Infamous Bluff-" "Icharus Brink." "Whatever. Are you telling me that this village was founded a week ago, and we weren't notified? Hm?" "Well, Turaga..." the Police Officer wilted under the icy glare of the Turaga of Ice. "We hardly thought it would be necessary, I suppose. I mean, the village was, and still is, just a bunch of ramshackle mud huts and a wooden fence around it! Hardly a village at all, just a refugee settlement..." Lipk trailed of. Kualus was grinning. "Refugees, eh? Rotten Marjoseans. Fellow Turaga? I believe we have solved it. Refugees from the Reyktavian Invasion of Marjos snuck them in, the dirty, rotten, imbeciles..." "Kualus!" Norik nearly screamed. "Don't ever, and I mean ever say anything like that again." "Sorry, Norik. It's just, I have difficulty trusting the new refugees until they prove their worth." "Hmm. Anyways, continue, Officer. But bear in mind that the police force was ignorant to not inform us of Icharus Brink's founding." "Very sorry, Turaga. Yes, I shall admit that we were ignorant, but we were sending out an officer or two to the village, all that would be necessary for a settlement of that size. Also, the refugees included Marjosean Matoran such as The Su-Matoran." "His name?" "Who, the Su-Matoran? Zorian." "Does Zorian know of this?" "Yes, he is returning to Metru Nui on a steamship from Xia. He departed yesterday, should be here tomorrow at the main port in Po-Metru." "So in short" began Gaaki, "illegal equipment was found in a Su-Matoran's home in a village founded only last week a a whole week away from the main city, and there were no Police Department member present at the time?" "Yes, Turaga Gaaki." "Hmm. Well, Officer Lipk, thank you very much for that report. You may go." said Norik. The Po-Matoran bowed and departed the Throne "Last week?" asked Gaaki once Lipk was out of earshot. "He seems to tell-speak the truth." "Nonsense." said Kualus. "He's got to be lying. What do you think, Norik?" "I don't know what to think. But I know that-" VOOM! A flash of blue light, a loud bang, and a young Toa of Gravity stood directly in front of the six thrones. They all stared at him. Even officer Lipk slipped back in to eyeball the new arrival, but was shooed away by Turaga Pouks' main bodyguard, a Fe-Matoran called Soljay. Sumaru was not exactly tall, but he clearly had strength. A long battle staff with a barbed tip was strapped to his back, the top clearly visible over his shoulder. He wore a jet black Akaku Nuva, a Kanohi which suited him. Gaaki thought he looked like the kind of thing they needed. Most of Metru Nui's Toa were abroad at the moment. "Woah." Ha stared around. "Woah. Woah." "Think he's physically capable of saying anything else?" whispered Iruini to Gaaki. "This... Isn't the beach..." His eyes widened almost to the size of dinner plates. "My dear friend," said Pouks "can you tell me who you are please?" "I... I'm Sumaru... Artahka Almighty..." he said, suddenly apprehensive. "We sure have a lot of catching up to do, don't we." ---- Anthion ducked, slipping behind a transporter just as a burst of flame erupted like a firework, incinerating the front of a transporter barely 3 bio away as if it had been struck by lightning. Anthion swore loudly, moving out from behind his makeshift shelter, trying to avoid the vicious fire that had enveloped as many innocent Matoran, political and military leaders and Toa. Ta-Metru's financial district was always crowded and noisy, but today there was a different sort of crowding, a different kind of noise. It was fear. Anthion scanned the running, screaming crowd. Theja, his Toa of Plantlife Fighting Partner, was nowhere to be seen. "MOVE!" As if out of nowhere, Theja rammed into him. A blast of shadow energy blazed past the two Toa, narrowly missing them. Theja observed his partner. Anthion was a bulky Toa of Magnetism and a war veteran. His legs were powerful, and they had two blue stubs sticking out of each of them. They stubs absorbed magnetic energy, channeled it through his body, and out through his cannon... HIS CANNON! Where had it gone! Anthion looked down at his empty hands, gesturing to Theja. He groaned, a long loud groan. It was going to be one of those days.... Chapter Two: Who, What, Where, Why, When. "My name is Sumaru. I came into being in the coastal village of Cape Akloran on the Northern Continent around 400 years ago. I worked as a Criminal Defence Attorney." "Keep talking." said the steely Ba-Matoran sitting across from him. It had at first comforted Sumaru to know that a being of his own element, but the Dorsus (which was his name) was cold as a Ko-Matoran on a bad day. This can't be real he thought. This is a bad interrogation from a bad detective story. But he had to keep talking. "I lived in Cape Akloran for most of my life. How I became a Toa is too complicated to explain, and why I became a Toa is beyond me." "You had a run in with Makuta Somnus, I believe?" "I fought him at-" "The Battle of Gidika, I know." He looked at Sumaru with what seemed like cynicism. "You didn't kill him, did you." Sumaru shrugged. "Toa code, I guess." Dorsus veered back to the subject of Sumaru's life story. "How is it complicated that some Turaga gave you a Toa stone?" Sumaru smiled. "He didn't. I obtained it myself. How, only I know, and you're not going to find out." "Thief." His smile faded instantly. "Thief? I am no thief! I obtained it fairly!" "Well here's the rub:" the Ba-Matoran looked him in the eye. "I don't believe you." Sumaru grunted. "You can believe whatever you want to believe and I respect that, I really do, but all that really matters is the truth." His interrogator smirked. "That sounds an awful lot like a quote that a great Ko-Matoran thinker would say. Not some grubby Toa of Gravity." "Grubby, shmubby. Don't care, buddy boy." "Dorsus!" rang out the deep voice of Turaga Bomonga. "Yes Turaga?" Answered the Bo-Matoran. "That's enough interrogation." The surprisingly strong figure of the Turaga of Earth appeared at the interrogation room door. "I'd like to talk to him personally, if you please." "Yes Turaga. Of course, Turaga." Dorsus got up and, without so much as a single backwards glance at Sumaru, left the room. Bomonga sat down. "How's you're morning been, Sumaru?" The Toa of Gravity wasn't sure how to respond. "It's been... weird. Really weird." "Tell me about Ehnqo." "Huh? Hmm... he's a jungle tribe agori, likes building really wacky stuff. Has a weird wish to become a Le-Matoran, and someday a Toa of air. He's hurt me in so many places with his inventions that I don't wanna talk about it, he can't shut up to save his life, and he's one of my best friends in the entire universe. Anything else you need to know?" "How did he get you here this morning?" "He made a laser that, if concentrated long enough on an entity, would teleport you to the place the user was thinking of. He must have been in a Metru-Nuian daydream at the time, I guess. Bomonga chuckled, but the moment of mirth was short lived. The second the smile on the Turaga of Earth's face died, Sumaru felt himself get a little colder. "We're divided on whether to trust you. Kualus thinks your insane. Norik is leaning towards trust, but is still sceptical. Iruini thinks you look incompetent as a Toa. Gaaki trusts in you completely. Pouks is yet to decide." "And what do you think?" The Turaga rubbed his eyes languidly. "That's why I'm talking to you, Sumaru. The last Toa of Gravity around here was quite the character, a guy named Paltex. Paltex did nought to be given a Toa stone, but stole one by the means of forging Turaga Lhikan's will." Sumaru whistled. "Serious." Bomonga nodded. "Got away scot free because of this." "Because of..." Sumaru's sentence was cut short by the dramatic pulling of a mask from a satchel (the presence of which had only just been noticed by Sumaru) around Bomonga's shoulder. The mask had three long, thin, blade-like spines protruding from the top. The eyes were arched, as if determined to do something. The dark, iridescent purple colour gave the mask an almost sinister feel. It was a Kanohi Invis, the Mask of Trickery. "Oh my." gasped the Toa of Gravity, shocked. "Yes" said Bomonga. "Only when we knocked the mask of his face and interrogated him with a Rode could we nail him. The Invis makes the user impenetrable to Rodes, Suletus and Komaus, so before that..." he shrugged. "Paltex was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, but escaped barely two nights into his sentence. We need to get him back, as soon as possible." he gave Sumaru a meaningful look. "Me?" "Mm hmm." "But I thought you were here to find out whether to trust me or not." "I am. If you accept, I will trust you." Sumaru considered the offer. "Isn't this blackmail?" "No." "Yes it is." Bomonga rolled his eyes and Sumaru began to distinctly feel he was fighting a losing battle. "Anyway, why can't you get another Toa to do this?" The Turaga rolled his eyes skyward. "Don't you get it?" The truth dawned on Sumaru. "You've already tried, haven't you." The Turaga nodded once again. "And no one else can do it... because... er..." "Because you're the only remaining Toa of Gravity on the Island who isn't corrupt. You, and only you, can counter his elemental abilities." Sumaru stood. "I'd love to help, but I need to get home. I have a village to protect back on the Southern Continent. I'm needed by the residents of Cape Akloran!" The elder paused, surveying Sumaru's worried expression. It was clear to see howld and lined the face behind that Mask of Growth was. The features were creased in a hopeless expression that spoke louder than any words Sumaru had ever heard spoken in his life. The Toa's face sagged. He sighed tiredly, rubbed his forehead, and slumped back into his chair. "Well." muttered Bomonga. The Gravity Toa looked up. "You must do what you think is right, of course." Chapter Three: Under Lockdown Theja and Anthion were in a bad way for three reasons. Reason number one: Anthion's cannon was missing. Reason number two: they were running out of places to shelter from the onslaught of fire, shadows, cordak missiles and other assorted projectiles flying at them from all angles. Reason number three: the duo were hopelessly outnumbered. Theja jumped up from behind the transporter and fired three blasts of orange light from his gun-arm. His aim was true, and a Skakdi of Psionics fell to the ground, dead as a door-nail. Theja grinned, ducking back behind the transporter. "So that's one down and... what, six to go?" Anthion grunted in response. He didn't like it when Theja killed, and he killed all to often since the Mechanical gun-arm. But then, something happened which drove Theja's killings right out of Anthion's mind. A face had appeared over the top of the transporter. A face so ugly, so repulsive, and so hateful that Anthion felt like screaming. The head was small and misshapen. The front of the face was stubby and flat with no visible nose and the deep-set eyes were black and tiny. The neck, long and spindly, seemed to barely be able to hold the disgusting head. It seemed to protrude from the chest rather than the shoulders, so that he was hunched and short. It was the face of Vidax. TBA